Educator The LearnWell Projects Hickory, North Carolina, United States
Program Abstract: STEM students enter college with more than 16,000 hours of academic work experience, indicating strong potential for seamless academic success. However, many students struggle to leverage their prior knowledge, resulting in poor performance on college assessments. This issue is often misattributed to inadequate high school preparation, poor study tactics, or lack of effort, whereas the real challenge lies in transitioning to the college academic paradigm.
Students frequently feel confident in their knowledge before tests but find the material unfamiliar during assessments, causing self-doubt. Through ethnographic observations across various North American campuses, we identified a set of key metacognitive practices and perspectives that both students and faculty often overlook. Educators have used these insights to improve core institutional metrics such as DFW rates, academic progress, graduation rates, and overall satisfaction. Participants will learn how to leverage new tools and existing course resources to positively impact their students and institutions.
